QT Museum Wellington’s signature restaurant, Hippopotamus Restaurant received One Hat on at Cuisine Magazine’s annual New Zealand Cuisine Good Food Awards held at the Auckland Memorial Centre, held Monday night.

The popular fine-dining institution in the capital, Hippopotamus Restaurant has been under the direction of Executive Chef, Laurent Loudeac coming onto a decade. “I’m lucky to have a dedicated and passionate team working with me,” he said. “Many of us have been working with me long enough to know my expectations and the level of quality that is expected before a dish leaves my kitchen.”

The New Zealand Cuisine Good Food Awards bring recognition to New Zealand’s top restaurants. As the only nationwide restaurant awards, winners of the Awards are highly acclaimed; and competition is tough. The restaurants recognised in the prestigious hat scoring system have been found to excel in every part of the restaurant experience. Hippopotamus Restaurant had previously received the covered hat in 2016 and 2013 prior.

The Hippopotamus menu is a broad mix of French classics with a modern twist and touch of gastronomy. The reinvention of dishes such as La Soupe À L’oignon Néo-Zélandaise – French Onion Soup with Marmite, paired with a reputation for high quality service and boasting harbour views keeps Hippopotamus at the top of Wellington’s culinary game. The hatted restaurant offers a myriad of dining experiences from five, six or eight course degustation dining with wine matches to an award-winning High Tea.

Executive Chef Laurent Loudeac celebrates ten years of dedication with Hippopotamus Restaurant with a ten course degustation dinner, each dish reflecting a year, this October.

QT Museum Wellington and Hippopotamus Restaurant images can be found here.